


A Heart's Mark

by FallenAkito



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Arthur likes music, Drama, Fluff, Gil is just Gil, High School AU, Idol AU, M/M, NaNoWriMo 2019, Nero Claudius - Freeform, Proto Cú/Emiya, Proto Gil, Rivals to Lovers, Romance, Smut, Soulmate AU, also for the characters which will appear, also two idiots falling in love, alternative universe, briefly mentions of other ships, no beta we die like men, tags for porn are following with the continuing story, this just emerged into a big mess of AUs pls don't hit me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-23 18:43:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21324877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenAkito/pseuds/FallenAkito
Summary: Sometimes the phrase 'Opposites attract each other.' couldn't be more fare off from the truth when somebody would think. However, for Arthur - this summer - this would be closer to the truth than he would have ever thought.This is my NaNoWriMo Project 2019 and probably a mess of fluff, angst, drama and an emotional rollercoaster. So prepare for a lot of feels within the mess of High School Soulmate AU with Proto Gil and Arthur, who are just simple dorks too stupid to handle love.
Relationships: Gilgamesh | Archer/Arthur Pendragon | Saber
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21





	1. End of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> Here comes the first chapter. I might be a bit behind but I still hope you guys will like it. It's my first time writing Gil and Arthur but, to be honest, I like it. Please do not ask me how all these ideas somehow got together but it just escalated by itself. 
> 
> This is more like some kind of Prologue, I guess. It's still quite long for a Prologue but yeah... I hope you like it! 
> 
> PS: I opened a Fate Writers Discord, we're a small fam at the moment and more writers and artists are greatly appreciated.  
https://discordapp.com/invite/T6p33dG

Sometimes the phrase 'Opposites attract each other.' couldn't be more fare off from the truth when somebody would think. However, for Arthur - this summer - it would be closer to the truth than he would have ever thought.

Summer was almost over and the people enjoyed the offshoot of the last long and warm days until season change would bring the cool breeze and rain. Finally calling in the end of the year and introduce the time of festive season overall. 

Arthur had spend the last weeks of his summer vacation with his sister outside of town. Their family owned an old shack on the hillside. As much as they both liked the city and their few friends, it was nice sometimes to savor the silence around them. The nature laying so calm at the little lake was beautiful; the landscape something not imagined to be found here so close to town and untouched mostly of humans. It was perfect to get some relief of all the stress.

They came back from their vacation a few days ago. School was starting again today and with it the usual routine of everyday life. The first aspect of this common line was being greeted by a group of girls, showing their brightest and sweetest smile, whispering to each other and quietly squealing when Arthur raised a hand to politely greet them. A crooked smile appeared on his own features and he quietly sighed to himself.

It wasn't that he disliked it but sometimes it was just a tad tiring to be handled like being the school prince. They had their reasons, but still...

He was born into a very humble family, not poorly but not with too much money to spare. Being a senior, this was his last year before graduation. Yet Arthur was still not quite sure what he wanted to do after being done with school. He was a little dreamer sometimes, however, he would be damned if he could ever make some money with what he liked the most. _Music_.

There was still a lot of time to decide what to do, but it was constantly weighing on his mind. Of course, he would like to enjoy his hobby more and wouldn't mind to take it further. However, it wasn't just that easy. For now he decided to shake the thought off, this was his first day after holiday. 

Arthur shouldered his bag and headed into the direction of the main entrance of the school. He didn't expect the sudden slap against his back, knocking the air out of his lungs and causing him to wince. Almost stumbled a few steps forward even.

A playful laugh resounded next to him and Arthur huffed under his breath. He would recognize his best friend anywhere, Cú was just unmistakable.

"You're quite early today, Cú." He said and straightened his posture, brows drawn together but he wasn't mad about this very overwhelming greeting. They had not seen each other for quite some time.

The blue-haired young man flashed one of his playful smirks, showing off one of his little fangs before he loosely let his arm rest on the blonde's shoulders. Usually Cú Chulainn wasn't one of the students showing up in time to classes, though, he was always just in time before the teacher set a foot into the room. How Cú managed to do that, was beyond Arthur's knowledge. 

"It's good to see you again. How was your summer?" Cú walked beside him until he directed him slightly to the side, so they could stand on the courtyard and talk a bit more freely without others having listen in. Not that they expected anyone to do it, but Arthur was rather popular as the school prince and rumors spread horribly fast. 

"It was fine. I went on a trip to that old house with Arturia for a few days. Relaxing and enjoying the solitude of nature."

"If you like the nature this much, you should really consider to join on the camping trip at some point." Cú pursed his lips before pulling back his arm and fishing in his pocket for the package of cigarettes.

Arthur eyed the package with mild disgust but all he did was sighing. "You know, it's not permitted to smoke on the school grounds." Though there was no tone of rebuke in his voice. Mostly because he knew that the other didn't really care about it. Like now, when he just shot him a look like 'Do I look like I care?'

Watching the other students slowly walk into the school building, chattering idly with each other after probably some time they hadn't seen, Arthur thought about his friends offer. "So you went camping again on holiday?" He looked curiously at Cú. It wasn't the first time he had received an offer like this and Arthur knew his friend loved camping to the fullest. Sometimes he would tell him about fishing and catching a big thing and show him pictures on his phone. 

"Mhrm... went with my ol' man." He said after an inhale before blowing out the blue grey smoke, idly flicking his thumb against the filter. "It was... not that relaxing though."

Arthur raised a brow and tipped his head to the side. He noticed the way Cú shifted his weight from one feet to another and back, also how he raised his second hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Pushing his hair up at the nape of his neck without realizing it, Arthur suddenly noticed the weird shaped spot beneath his hairline.

Curiosity picked Arthur stepped closer.

"Cú, what's...." Squinting at the little spot he was pretty sure that hasn't been there when they last met, which had been in the first week of their summer vacation before Cú went on the camping trip. "... is that a soulmark?" Now Arthur was a truely dumbfounded. That was the least he had expected to see when he would meet his best friend after a few weeks of vacation. 

"Oh that? Uh...yeah. Got it a few weeks ago."

A little smile spread on Arthur's lips, because he could see that it seemed to embarrass Cú a little bit. There was no way he couldn't tease him about it. 

"So? Who's the lucky man?" Not that Arthur could not already assume who it was. Cú apparently thought the same because he looked at him like if Arthur was trying to mess with him.

"Emiya."  
  
"Well, that's not a surprise. You were basically a thing before that already." Arthur chuckled to himself, nudging his elbow into Cú's side who immediately tried to shove his arm away. 

Arthur knew Emiya only briefly from a few times when he met up with Cú for the arcade or for actual studying. Emiya was pretty serious and quiet. He liked time for himself and was the absolut opposite to Cú, who was most of the time loud and making jokes. Not ashamed at all to show off how much fun he had. Also he didn't stop flirting even in public and Emiya was often embarrassed about it. They were like a cat and dog. 

"Mhrm... but I'm still not quite sure if that soul-thing isn't just some kind of big stupid mess."

"Why? Haven't you two been getting on since last winter anyway?"  
  
"Yeah... but still.. don't you think something like being destined for each other is dumb? Who decides that anyway?"

"Well..." 

Well it wasn't like Arthur couldn't understand his friend. Being a couple was one thing, you could get to know each other and spend time together; partly unceremoniously and if it wouldn't work out, there was no obligation to stay. However... being soulmates was another thing as far as he knew. Cú was not wrong. Arthur wondered too, who would decide for them with what kind of person they would spend the rest of their life together. Shouldn't they just decide for themselves? If it would be so easy...? 

To be honest Arthur had never read enough about those in the first place because there had been no reason to do so until now. Still he knew at least about the responsibility that came with it. If the worst case happened, it might be the case that his _someone_ wouldn't even like him. Or he wouldn't like that person on the contrary; that would be horrible.

However, he could understand Cú's concerns but on the other side, he knew the blue-haired really liked Emiya - loved him even. There was no way they weren't destined to be with each other. Their relationship might just need a little bit more polish. Arthur still felt happy for his friend to have met his destined partner in the first place.

Still, there were a lot of things Arthur didn't understand.

"Get out of my way, Pendragon."

_That much_ being one of the things he definitely didn't want to understand. Or... more like the person coming with it.

"Gilgamesh..." He muttered, when said person deliberately bumped into his shoulder, pushing him out of the way and giving him a scrutinizing look up and down before Gilgamesh continued to walk to the building; clicking his tongue in irritation. 

They have never been fond of each other in the first place. Gil was popular just as much as Arthur was but for entirely different reasons - not that Arthur cared about it much anyway. As an heir of a wealthy family Gilgamesh enjoyed the attention of a lot of people who wanted to be his friend. The name of his family was well known and probably, in the future, he might be someone important with a lot of influence. To have someone like him on their good side might raise other popularity's level as well. If Gilgamesh would care about any other person at all. 

Gilgamesh was a rowdy; a bad boy. He always looked down on other people and talked them down as if they wouldn't be worth anything in his eyes. Treating them like they would all be his servants. Arthur had never seen him talk friendly with anybody and wondered if Gil would ever consider someone else as his friend.

Aside from the fact that Gilgamesh seemed to be constantly bored of his surroundings and school, his grades were more than average. They were extraordinary to say the least. Whatever went through the head of him, Arthur didn't want to know. He had enough to take care of himself and the chance to even see this arrogant brat again after graduation was relatively low.

He sighed quietly to himself and relaxed his shoulders; didn't even notice that he had pulled them up before.

Cú beside him huffed under his breath, flicking his finished cigeratte onto the ground and stepping on it.

"I see... our self-proclaimed _king_ is back too." He pushed his hands into his pockets as they walked into the direction of the school building. The blue-haired liked Gilgamesh even less, mostly because Gil had the impudence to call and treat Cú like a dog, if he got the chance for it. "I wonder why this snob hasn't decided to leave school and see a private teacher, if he thinks everyone else than him is just scum. His family has enough money for that anyway."

"Mhrm. Probably they know about his way to treat people and think a public school would change his mind." Or maybe Gilgamesh didn't have any friends for real and they hoped he would be able to find some friends here. Little did they know, though.

The two of them passed the double doors and went to the lockers to store the books and stuff they would need the following days. Fortunately theirs were located right next to each other.

"By the way, Arthur, how is your music going?" Cú closed his locker and looked at him with a grin; expectantly waggling his eyebrows. Arthur almost regretted having told Cú more about it than what the people on the schoolgrounds talked about. He chuckled quietly to himself and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's okay? I mean... there was nothing much this summer. I practiced a bit."

It wasn't the complete truth but not a lie either. His music was the reason why Arthur was so popular at school in the first place. After they had found out that the blonde boy in the park sitting there, playing his guitar and singing self-written songs was Arthur, they treated him like some kind of school idol. Though, he didn't get the hassle about it.

He loved music and sometimes, when he was pretty stressed writing lyrics or just randomly playing a melody on his instrument soothed his stressed mind. His sister - and now also his best friend - supported him in this and not only once suggested to hit up one of the talent castings. Yet, Arthur had refused until now to do something like that. He just wasn't sure if a life as an idol would really be something he would like to have. At least not before he was done with school and had the possibility to earn his money in a different way. He might be a dreamer but he was also able to think about it realistically.

Until then he could at least get some practice with what he was doing. 

* * *

The first day of school was not very exciting over all, but Arthur didn't expect anything less. Mostly the teachers informed them about this years organisation, about the courses and the usual reminding of selecting a fitting club they would like to partake. 

When the school bell rang for their break Cú used the opportunity and turned around on his chair; his arms folding onto the backrest.

"Do you know which club you're going to take?"

Arthur closed his calender after taking some notes for the exams and a thoughtful noise escaped his lips. Last year his choice has been choral singing, but that was definitely not going to be something he wanted to do ever again.

"I thought about art classes... it looked interesting."

Cú snorted and a smirk appeared on his face.

"You planning not only becoming the next popstar but also the next DaVinci? Take it slow!" Of course, he was just teasing him and Arthur had to laugh a bit about it. "I think I'll choose athletics again? It was my best shot last year." Cú continued, leaning back to stretch out his legs while his hands hold onto the backrest.

"Well, you were our best man for the school sports. Our team wouldn't have gotten the second place in the ranking without you." That much was certain. Their athletics team wasn't too bad but they never made it into the ranking of the national schools, not until Cú had joined the team. So their trainer probably would love to see him get back to it again.

The sudden noise of running footsteps echoed from the hallway into their classroom. They were so loud, even the noise of other students talking to each other couldn't drown them out. On a pure instinct Arthur looked up and to the door when a blonde girl with green eyes appeared in the doorway.

"AH! There you are!"

"Hello, Nero." Arthur greeted her with a warm smile while Cú just raised a hand with a casual 'yo'.

Nero pursed her lips at Cú's audacity but she decided to not remind him of being polite and turned her attention to Arthur instead. Ignoring all the looks that rested on her while she spoke to him. She was used to it apparently, for the sole reason that she actually was living her idol life and was used to people staring at her.

"Have you decided on a club already?" The enthusiastic glint in her emerald eyes intimidated him slightly. She propped both her hands into her hips and leaned forward; urging him give her an answer.

"I was thinking about joining art this year though..." Leaning away from a her in pure reflex. 

"Art? Oh my! Isn't that a waste of your talent?"

Cú snorted quietly to himself and earned a devastating gaze of Nero. He raised his hands in defense and turned around on his seat, leaving them both to their discussion.

"It's just something I haven't tried out until now, so why not?" Arthur had a wide range of interests and if he got the opportunity to try out something new, he would rather do that than sticking to the same thing over and over again. He could enjoy music in his free time anyway.

"Umu! Fine but if you change your mind then let me know right away. I talked to the teachers about starting my own club and we could need someone as talented as you." She tried her best to persuade him and Arthur felt a little bit sorry to disappoint her. Nero was a nice girl and he liked her determination but he didn't need any more attention that he already got. It didn't surprise him, though, that she was starting her own club. A lot of people would probably join it for the sole reason to get closer to Nero and befriend her. 

"I will. Thank you for your invitation, though."

"Mhrm mhrm! You can feel yourself honored that I know about your potential. You just have to use it. Oh by the way... I'm planning a little school festival and I would have some use for a singer like you." She winked at him meaningfully.

"Ah... I'll think about it, okay?"

Of course she had to overwhelm him with all of this right at their first school day. Probably because she wanted to make sure to snatch him away before any other club could do that. However, even if it sounded tempting to do something else than just sitting in the park and sing for himself and the few people passing by, he didn't want to agree on anything in a mad rush. He had to think about it at least. 

This answer seemed to suffice for Nero at the moment; with a nod she bid them goodbye and left their classroom - the break would be over soon anyway.

"I don't think she'll be the last one to drag you into their club." Cú chuckled winced slightly when Arthur flicked a piece of his rubber at him.

His friend wasn't wrong with his assumption. By the time school closed for them, there were at least five over clubs who tried to recrute Arthur for their purposes. Even if those who definitely weren't anything even close to the blonde's interests only wanted him to rise their popularity and gain even more members.

Arthur politely declined their offers and relief spread inside of him when he was finally free to do what he wanted. The first day had been exhausting enough for his taste. He was definitely in the need to relax for a while.

Arturia wasn't home yet when he reached their shared house. Good, there was still some time until he would prepare dinner and he needed some groceries for that anyway. With that in mind he reached for the case for his instrument, heading over to the park and his usual spot on one of the benches. The slight breeze of the afternoon was pleasant with a slight scent of an incoming weather change soon.

Autumn was his favourite season. Maybe because it always reminded him a bit of home back in Britain and a feeling of something close to homesickness made itself known inside of him. It's been a few years since Arthur and his sister left their country for school. They both longed to go back for a vacation at least but they lacked the money for it.

Well, it was on top position of his priorities as soon as he would earn his own money.

With a sigh on his lips he adjusted his guitar and tried to find the right tune before he started playing. No particular thing in mind Arthur just followed his instinct; following a melody that bubbled just from his mind - his foot every once in a while tapping on the ground to the rhythm. As occupied his head every once in a while was, the focus on the music; on his own little world calmed him down.

Sometimes he also started to sing, quiet of course and more to himself than anyone else. This was mostly just for practice of his own but as he felt too embarrassed to do it in front of Arturia and on the hand his sister also had to study, he preferred to do it more or less for himself. There weren't so many people passing by anyway.

Every now and then he would stop his playing and write something down in a little notepad if he liked something specifically what he came up with. Most of the time on the other hand he didn't pay attention at all to what he was singing. It was just what came to his mind. And sometimes people who passed by would stop and listen for a moment before they showed him an encouraging smile and keep walking again.

The first few times Arthur had felt extremely intimidated by it but now this was something he could well handle. However... inevitably his thoughts wandered back to Nero's suggestion and he stopped his play; two kids who had stopped by waving him happily before they ran back to their parents.

Ugh... how did Nero handle all the stress and the... stagefright? Maybe he should ask her at some point.

Arthur wrinkled his nose when a cold drop hit his nose. He rose his gaze to the now clouded sky and furrowed his brows. He didn't even noticed that rain was starting to come up... sometimes he just forgot the time when he was sitting here; caught up in his own little word.

Time to pack his things together and head home; Arturia might be back already too.

The guitar went back into its case but before he could even leave the park the downpour set in and drenched the blonde student from head to toe. Great, that wasn't exactly how he had planned his afternoon, but oh well...

Running up the winding trail he had to blink a few times; the rain making it gradually more difficult to see and when he passed the gates, turning to the right to get back on the main road he almost bumped into another person. Arthur just managed to stop himself, though tripped through the wet ground and would probably have made aquaintance with the ground in a not graceful manner if it wasn't for the hand that instinctively got a hold of his upper arm.

"Ah, I'm sorry... I didn't see you an--" Arthur started but was interrupted by an annoyed huff followed by a voice he knew all to well.

"_You_." Gilgamesh spat and narrowed his ruby red eyes as he just only realized who he kept from falling flat onto his face. "You better be sorry for it, Pendragon. Are you blind or something?"

He let go of Arthur's arm. Though it was still raining heavily, Arthur forgot for a second that he had aimed to seek shelter. Instead he looked at the blonde in front of him with mild confusion. Gil carried a black umbrella and was still in his uniform. The next thing Arthur could see was that mocking expression on his face and the smirk spreading on his lips as they curled slightly upwards as Gil surveyed him. Noticing how Arthur examined him. "Look at you. You look like some sort of drenched poodle." He broke into a fit of laughter and Arthur rolled his eyes; asking himself why he did even bother to talk to this guy. He was tempted to just leave it at that and move on but somehow...

.... something just kept him from doing so.

When Gilgamesh regained his composure and stopped laughing himself apparently to death; running a hand through his golden hair. Pushing it out of his face before it fell back into his bloodred eyes immediately. "Well, well. I guess, we should dry you off or you're going to die before you're even home." He passed Arthur with a few steps before turning his head back to Arthur, though, not even bothering to hold the umbrella out for him to keep him from getting wet even further.

"That's nice of you but..." Arthur started before he blinked at him; for a second unsure if he had understood him correctly. Wait a minute.... _we_? He cleared his throat and frowned; rebuilding the words in his head from before. "Why would you, of all people, help me out?"

True, Gilgamesh wasn't some kind of samaritan. Why would he care to help him at all? He didn't even like him.

"You entertained me today, Arthur. Aside from that I'm a good mood right now or do you have the impudence to scorn my offer?" The smile on his lips didn't cary the nice meaning of his words. The stare of those red eyes were cold as ice and Arthur could see the warning glare in them. A threat that told him to not make an idiot out of him for his generosity. Gilgamesh had a lot of pride. If someone hadn't noticed before. 

Resignation hit Arthur just like his sense of politeness as there was no way to oppose Gil at the moment. Even though he still shouldn't let his guard down when it came to Gil. He might expect something in return. Also he had to be honest and the outlook of dry clothes and to warm up a bit before heading home wasn't too bad.

"Alright, you have my thanks, Gilgamesh."

How absurd that he was actually taking Gil up on his offer... and it was even more absurd that the other offered something like this in the first place. 

Gil scrunched up his nose like he was disgusted by something, before turning away from Arthur and continuing to lead the way. They didn't talk while they walked although Arthur really wanted to know where the sudden change of heart came from - aside from the fact that Gil was still insulting him as ever.

It wasn't too long until they reached Gilgamesh's place or better the palace where he lived with his family. Arthur immediately felt out of place. He remembered passing this estate every so often on his walks and found himself in awe about it. The architecture was really nice, but he had not expected that the person who despised him the most would live here. On the other hand... he shouldn't be surprised.

By the time they entered the entrance hall Arthur, for the first time, noticed how cold he actually felt. The wet clothes clung to his skin and now with the heat of the summer gone the chilly feeling seeped far much faster into his bones.

Fortunately nobody seemed to be at home at the first glance. Arthur had to admit, he might have felt a little bit embarrassed to stand here completely soaked like he was.

"Leysritt!"

Arthur winced by the sudden exclamation; his attention back on Gilgamesh who closed his umbrella. The noise of light footsteps echoing through the hall made him look up. A woman with silver hair and red eyes, and judging from her clothing probably a house maid, approached them. The expression on her face was unreadable as her gaze flickered between the two blondes.

She accepted the folded umbrella with a nod and looked at Arthur. He was about to open his mouth to greet her as he got interrupted for a second time. Gil really seemed to have a talent for that. "Take his clothes and get them dry. Make sure you give him something to... bear the time with until he can change in his own again." He waved her off with one hand and left them both.

Arthur didn't really feel comfortable to let someone do the work for him and he did try to start a conversation with Leysritt every so often, but he barely got any response. In the end it was mostly nothing but awkward silence and when he changed into a shirt and jogging pants for the time being, Gilgamesh picked him back up in the hallway while Arthur's clothes took their rounds in the dryer. Gesturing Arthur to follow him, he stuffed the rest a potato chip into his mouth. 

Apparently the house was big enough that Gil had the whole upper floor for himself as a separate flat. He really was some kind of spoiled brat. A spoiled brat with a weird sense of taste, to be honest.

The living room seemed like a weird mixture of arabian touched decorations, the walls painted in warm colors with some golden ornaments. Candels on the shelves and delicate embroidered cushions on the sofa, which looked like it was worth a whole year's rent of Arturia's and his flat. The furniture, though, was more modern styled and somehow didn't really want to fit the whole theme of room.

He could smell the very faint scent of cinnamon; probably one of the candles.

Gil disappeared into another room, his bedroom Arthur guessed and while he was waiting for his return he used the time to examine some of the picture frames on the shelf. There were few with his family; his mother was beautiful and apparently Gilgamesh had inherited all of her prominent features. The golden hair, the vibrant red eyes...

Somehow this carried a strange sensation. They knew each other for a few years now; since High School started and yet he has never thought about a different side of Gil than just this brash, self-boasting ego he had. There was another thing that caught his eye in this way, though.

Quite the most of all pictures lined up looked like printed out selfies, all of them with Gil and person with long green hair. They seemed close to each other. Maybe a friend? Or his girlfriend? Arthur couldn't quite tell if that person was a man or a woman; whoever that was they seemed to be an important part in Gilgamesh's life.

"If you touch anything, Pendragon, I'm gonna kick you out again. Do you understand?"

Arthur felt a bit caught and turned his attention to Gilgamesh, who had changed into his casual clothes; a lose white shirt and pants which looked even more like the other was suffering a weird fashion taste or something. Who the hell thought wearing snake printed pants would be a good idea!?

He settled onto the chair next to the couch; watching Gil making himself at home on the latter and kicking his feet onto the table.

"I'd still like to know why you offered to help me out." Arthur voiced out; getting back to his question earlier. He still didn't understand what was going on with Gilgamesh's mind and even though he didn't want to seem ungrateful to him, the curiosity wasn't going to shut up.

"I don't need any reason for whatever I do. I do what I want."

"Right.."

Of course, what would he have thought... that he would get a reasonable answer? Way off the mark, Arthur! There was no point in trying to pry it out of him and maybe Gil just did it so he could use it against him in school to have some kind of advantage over him. He was someone who enjoyed to have power over others, wasn't he? 

Gil let his gaze rest on his classmate, who shifted slighty - barely noticeable - on his seat. It was not a surprise Arthur felt uncomfortable but also on the verge of being irritated. First about the fact that Gilgamesh acted like he was doing him a favor from his good will and on the other side because he watched him like a hawk. Looking like it was as easy as day for him to read the green-eyed student. Arthur was pretty sure now, the offer of the young man with those bloodred eyes was nothing but another haughty way of showing off that Gil was superior to him.

"You're wasting your time with music, hrm?" That was right to the point and out of the blue nonetheless, but Arthur supposed there was no way Gil wouldn't have heard of it. Talks in school spread like wildfire. So he shouldn't be surprised that Gilgamesh was aiming for that to mock him again. 

"I like it and it helps me to relax after a stressful day." Why did he even bother to justify himself. He didn't owe him a reason at any rate. Yet the explanation had bubbled upwards just like this, maybe, because he was already used to these talks of 'stop it and get a real job'. Which wasn't a wrong thing to consider to be honest... however, he could still dream, couldn't he?

"So you want to take up after Nero, or what?"

Oh, so he had heard of Nero's side business as an idol. Though, it was hard to not know at all. Nero was pretty openly boasting over it and all over the place. There were quite a few shopping windows with her face on it. Someone would need to be blind to not see this kind of thing.

"I don't know yet, to be honest." Arthur had thought it through so many times, but he was still reluctant.

Gil snorted quietly to himself and made a dismissive gesture.

"Well, you would need a lot of talent for that. Which I'd say, you're still lacking."

Just when Arthur started to believe he might see another side of the blonde in front of him, the brash comment made him huff in annoyance and his green eyes narrowed; folding his arms in front of his chest. Obviously offended by his words. 

"I don't think you have ever liste--"

"I did. You're not the only person in the park, you know?" Gilgamesh wasn't wrong, plus it wasn't like he was trying to hide it anymore. Not since it seemed the whole school knew about it anyway. The cat was out of the bag. "You're average."

This might be the moment when Arthur's jaw almost dropped to the floor. Partly because about this dry statement and the fact Arthur was sure he was more than just _average_. Fine, he might not have taken lectures like Nero had been for her singing carrier but did it matter? He was still good at it and people liked his voice. He was definitely better than Gilgamesh wanted to give him credit for. 

"I don't think you're the right person to judge over it, but thanks." Arthur retorted, a polite yet cold smile settling on his features. Tempted to meet Gilgamesh head on with his own arrogance, all that kept him from doing so were actually his education from childhood. The graceful way of showing disregard without voicing an insult. He wasn't the same like this snobbish kid and he didn't need to get on his level just to make himself feel better. 

Gilgamesh didn't seem to bothered by his answer or his tone and just replied with a little chuckle, "If you think so. Keep on dreaming, Arthur. That's the best you can." 

With this the conversation dissolved into nothing but mere awkward words and phrases and Arthur was relieved when he could finally get his clothes back; dried and even still a bit warm. The rain had mostly stopped and when he left Gil's place he made a mental note to himself he wouldn't take him up on an offer like this again. Rather he would freeze himself to death on the way back home next time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the first chapter. I hope you like it. It's just an introduction and the real thing is just about to start with the next chapter. That's for sure. 
> 
> Inspirational Songs for this:  
Fate OSTs  
FFXIV OSTs  
Partly Kpop  
(This is a weird mix for the first time tbh oops)
> 
> See you next time!


	2. A new task

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm already behind my schedule for Nano and I should definitely write faster but eh. There is a lot of irl stuff that keeps me from being focused for quite a while (mostly my sick dog which demands attention constantly) ugh. 
> 
> Anyway. Here is the second chapter and actually the first real one because now the real shit is going to start!

The next few days were nothing out of the ordinary. It was still the beginning of the new semester and it was almost amusing, how few people kept attention to the lectures for now. Only to panic as soon as exams would hit up on them and make them remember, they should have better listened to everything of classes.

Since their meeting in front of the park and the short albeit weird conversation at Gilgamesh's home, they didn't cross each others paths again. Not only that in the last two days, Arthur was pretty sure, Gil hasn't even attended school at all.

Perhaps he has gotten sick.

Well, if he would care about it. There was no reason at all.

Yet the discussion with that spoiled brat seemed to have set off something inside the blonde. It might be stupid but somehow there was this urge to show that he was far better when others might think about it and maybe he should actually grasp the chance if he would have the opportunity.

This chance appeared a few days later when Nero appeared on his doorstep again, giving out flyers for the planned Fall Festival. It was nicely planned out from the piece of paper he got handed. Cú was mostly interested in the food stalls and even considering to help out at one of the booths too. It would at least be something where he could get his fishing talent of use and prepare his own catches as festival food.

"Well, Arthur, did you think about my request?" Nero asked and leaned in closer to the other, whispering quietly so no one else would listen in on their conversation. It was already enough that she had to deal with that bold blue-haired idiot.

Though, Cú was only half-heartily listening to them as he was currently occupied with his phone; probably with texting Emiya.

"I don't know, Nero... I've just been playing at the park. I don't have any experience with being on stage actually. I don't know if I can handle it?" That was mostly his concern; the fact he might make an idiot out of himself with forgetting something of his text or... if it came to dancing messed something up.

Not only would he embarrass himself, he would also be a disgrace for Nero herself and she already had a reputation to lose. Arthur didn't even understand why she wanted him to join her and not someone with a bit more... reliability?

"Oh, so it's the stagefright that's worrying you." She gave a thoughtful noise and raised a hand to his chin, cocking her head to the side. "You know, when I started with this ... I was insecure about doing it too. I was scared I wouldn't be good enough and now look where I am."

Well, she wasn't wrong about it. In just a few years Nero had become a well-known popstar and now her face was practically everywhere in the whole city. But Arthur was a completely different character then the blonde girl was. Not that he was not able to go out of himself, however, it wasn't as much as Nero usually behaved. "Come on, Arthur! It will be fun!"

Now she actually looked at him with her big green eyes, which were almost watery and Arthur raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

"Theoretically speaking... what would I be needed to do?" 

Her face lightened up with a smug expression.

"Singing. You will sing a duet with me, also we're going to learn a choreography. You can dance, do you?" The question just seem to appear to her, so she looked at him in concern. Sizing him up and down. 

"Uh... I have been taking dancing lessons in the past, so the classic ones and freestyle is no problem but I'm not sure about choreography?" He didn't think it would be too hard, but there was worry he would forget something on stage. Even more if he had never been on stage before and that as totally something new for him.

"Umu! Don't worry. We will train it together and I'm pretty sure you will manage it."

"What happens if I forget something?" 

Her brows drew together as she crossed her arms.

"You better not... I have a reputation to lose, Arthur, and my manager wouldn't be happy about it, if you fuck up." 

"That is... really helping to know." Arthur muttered dryly.

Well, when why was she actually asking him of all people to join her!? The risk was high, that he did something wrong and yet she was not stopping to pester him with it. He glanced helplessly at his best friend, who was currently busy to stuff his mouth with fries when he noticed Arthur watching him. 

They were sitting together in the cantine in a free hour. 

Cú swallowed the piece of food down, taking a sip of his coke and shrugging softly. There was no way he could take the decision off of him. It was for Arthur alone to decide but at least he could try to encourage him a bit. 

"Doesn't sound too bad, ya think? ... I mean, you didn't want to hit up one of the auditions yourself so why not goin' with this?" He supported his arm on the table and rested his chin on his hand. The blue-haired wasn't wrong. At least he would not be alone and doing this together with a friend. 

He sighed deeply. 

"Fine. I'll do it... but I have warned you beforehand!" 

"Umu! Do not worry, Arthur Pendragon! I, Nero Claudius, will make the best idol out of you! Not as bright and sparkling as I am though, that goes without saying." She said and reached for her bag to search for something while Arthur just shook his head to himself. 

What had he gotten himself into? 

A moment later Nero conjured up a piece of paper; printed with various texts and spaces to fill out. Oh, so she had been perfectly prepared from the beginning. 

"What is this?" 

"It's your contract. Well, just a little formality we need because it's probably going to be livestreamed and we need some information about you, as well as your confirmation to be broadcasted." She explained nonchalantly and slid the piece of paper across the table. Arthur felt close to facepalm at his own decision. "Take your time and fill it out. You can give it to me later, I gotta go now for a lecture. I'll see you boys later!" 

She winked at them both and Cú casually waved her goodbye before they were left alone in the cantine. 

"I have the feeling I will regret agreeing to this." Arthur said quietly and took the piece of paper in hand to study the required information. It wasn't too bad... nothing like too serious at least, like if they wanted a full copy of a good-conduct certificate or something similar to it. 

"Nah, it will be fine, man. You're worrying too much." Cú smiled at him warmly before he put his hand on the blonde's shoulder. Making sure to give him the feeling that he was supporting him in whatever decision he would make. Arthur appreciated the sentiment and returned it with a warm expression on his face.

The next moment the blue-haired took his hand from his shoulder, he noticed something else which he didn't have seen before; frowning slightly at it. "Hey, uh... Arthur? What is that?" 

"Hrm?" 

Arthur blinked at Cú in confusion before following the direction of his gaze, which was resting on the back of Arthur's right hand. There was a faint outline of a red sign on the back of his hand. The color wasn't very vibrant and looked more rosy, like if he would have rubbed it into his skin with his fingers; leaving vague red streaks. 

This definitely hasn't been there this morning when he had left the house. 

"Where did this...--" He started but Cú already got a hold of his hand, turning it in every direction to inspect it a bit more. 

"Man... you got marked!" The blue-haired suddenly exclaimed with a grin and he looked a little bit too smug for Arthur's taste, to be honest. "It got you too, now~." He mused and gently jabbed him into his side. 

Of course, Cú would have to make fun of it. Arthur already had anticipated something like this if it would ever hit him and now, the time was there. Cú let go of his hand, surveying him for a moment if the blonde was going to tell him about it. "So, you got someone? When were you going to tell me?" 

"Wha--? I don't have anyone! This takes me by surprise as much as it does you!" 

Cú gave a thoughtful noise and nodded. Yeah, Arthur would have probably told him about it, if he was seeing someone or if he would have a date. Not because he needed his help but they were little to no secrets between them. So his answer made sense. 

"So you have no idea, who it could be?" 

Arthur's emerald eyes rested their gaze on the mark; examining it for a moment until he slumped back into his seat. 

"No, not at all. I don't have anyone who is very close to me, aside from you to say the least."

"Well, it's not me."

"I know that!" It still didn't help him a lot, to be honest. How should he find out, who his soulmate was supposed to be when he had no clue where to search for them? Was it someone of his classmates? Did they already meet? Or did they not? What was he supposed to do!?

Stay calm, Arthur, he told himself as he took a deep breath. It would get him exactly nowhere if he was starting to panic now. It would be better to stay remain calm and think about this reasonably. "I just... don't know where to look first. How did you and Emiya handle it?" 

"Hrm... thats difficult because we were already a couple but I think we noticed too because in contrary to without the mark we were able to feel better what the other felt?" Cú gestured somehow wildly with his arms, trying to explain how he'd experienced his first moments with the soulmark but that was just so much helping for Arthur like throwing a little stone in a pond. 

He would need to keep his eyes open and make sure he was keeping an eye on the reactions of other people. "Don't worry, Arthur. I'm sure you will notice when you two meet and until then I am going to help you out find them!" Cú suggested with determination. He would not let his best friend down in this. This was about his future! 

Yet, there was no need to rush things. They had enough time to find out. 

* * *

By the time their day at school was drawing to a close, the mark on Arthur's hand had gained even more color. The outline on his hand was now painted in a vibrant red and it almost reminded the blonde on some kind of flower, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it might be. 

He definitely needed to look this up at a later time. 

However, with having the mark at such a visible spot, it was hardly possible to hide it from the curious eye. Therefore it was no surprise that he was stopped by a group of a few classmates in the hallway when he and Cú planned to leave for the day. 

"Arthur! We heard you got marked? Is it true?" 

The girls looked upon him like begging for him to deny it and tell them it was just a stupid rumor someone had spread in the world to make others give up on him. Defensively he raised both his hands to settle them down. 

"I'm afraid it's the truth."

"Aww, really? How sad! Who is it though?"

"Yes, we want to know! Is it someone from our class?" 

They literally bombarded him with questions, trying to squeeze out any information he had. If it was someone he knew or if he has seen the person at all, who he was to be destined and the blonde just tried to get it over with. 

"What is the reason for this fuss?!" The boasting voice of a certain blonde student rose above everyone else and the eyes of the people in the hallway moved to the cause of it. It was Gilgamesh, naturally; having his bag shouldered and his hands shoved into his pants pockets. His brows were furrowed, though, there was a mocking smirk resting on his face as he stepped closer. "So this is about our Prince Charming again, huh!?" 

He worded it like he was actually interested in the matter but the tone of his voice didn't betray him. It sounded like an open insult. Some of the girls stepped aside when Gil approached them, examining Arthur more fore a mere second. 

Arthur was sure even Gilgamesh would have probably heard of the news. Everything here spread like a wildfire in a dried out forest. He wasn't wrong with his assumption, when Gil immediately picked up the topic. 

"So you have been marked him? How pathetic, Pendragon. How does it feel to be forced into something you have no control of? Or maybe you are even happy about it, because otherwise you would never find someone else staying with you." He spat and started to laugh loudly about making fun of him like that. 

While Arthur was the more collected and reasonable one from them, Cú immediately stood up and took a step closer to Gilgamesh; glaring at him openly. If looks would have killed, Gil would have dropped dead on the school floor. 

"It's none of your business, rich brat!" Cú spat, quietly growling and his brows drew together some more when Gilgamesh started to laugh. 

Again, boasting and full of self-confidence. He definitely enjoyed mocking Cú because that boy immediately picked up on it. 

"I don't remember asking you, mongrel. Now stand back by your owners side and be the good boy you are." 

That was enough for Cú to lose it as he scrunched up his nose and was already about to head in Gilgamesh's direction; teeth gritted and clearly wanting to throw a fist into that smug bastards face. It was Arthur's hand that hold onto the crook of his elbow, pulling him back to get him back to his senses. 

They were still in school and if he tried to start a fight, Cú was probably going to get more punishment than Gilgamesh would for obvious reasons. 

"Leave him, it's not worth it." His gaze rested on the other blonde; whose smirk was just getting wider when he raised his chin and made clear he was the one being superior in this case. 

"You should listen to him, mutt. He is at least smarter than you are." 

"I swear, if I ever get the chance to punch ya in the face, there's nothing gonna stop me!" 

In the meantime, their little ruckus already drew in more students who curiously passend by or stood in a save distance to observe what was happening between the three people. They were used to Gil picking up fights and mock his schoolmates - that was nothing new - but it was certainly new that he openly approached Arthur with it. 

However, Arthur knew better than letting himself getting provoked like Cú did. Licking his lips he tried to search for the right words; trying his best to mitigate the situation. 

"I don't see any reason why you should be interested in this case, Gilgamesh. You have heard correctly, can't we just leave it at that?" Arthur felt like he was tip-toeing on thin ice between his best friend and this classmate, who had absolutely zero respect when it came to others. Any move could just lead to another haughty comment which led the surface creak more beneath his feet. 

He had not let go of his best friend's arm until now. Just in case. 

"You might be correct with that, I suppose, but I'm far more interested how you are going to handle this, prince. At this rate you might turn out to become a heartbreaker on a mass event." Gilgamesh waved a hand dismissively and glanced at Arthur's hand still holding onto Cú.

Whatever it was, Arthur did not quite understand what actually happened in that moment. First he could see Gil pause, staring at it like he was looking through glass before he found his voice again as he turned on his heel. He huffed under his breath and turned his gaze only for a second over his shoulder. "Have fun with searching for them." 

There was no real meaning of wishing him luck in these words. Arthur knew that much and for whatever reason had led Gilgamesh to leave them be, he was grateful for it. 

Cú clicked his tongue next to him and slowly started to relax, so the blonde could let go of his arm. He sighed in relief. 

"What an asshole." The blue-haired scowled and shook his head. "I can't stand this fucking idiot." 

Arthur lightly pat his shoulder and rubbed it soothingly. 

"It's just one of his moods, I suppose." At least that was what he thought and when he and Cú made their way to the entrance of the school building, he barely overheard the whispering of some over students. Contemplating why Gil had been wearing a patch on his collarbone and if he had gotten into a fight recently. He had been staying at home for a few days at least. It would probably make sense. 

Arthur didn't think about it too much and when they left the building, he might already forgot about it. 

The rest of his evening was mostly spent with his sister, agitated and excited at the same time about the fact that her brother had received his soulmark. Even if he had still no clue where to search for his destined partner to be with. 

Maybe the first thing he should do was to get a bit more information about the marks in general. That would make it easier to search for the right person. Or he could just ask Cú more about it, maybe they would be able to find something out together. 

In the end there was not even a guarantee his soulmate was actually someone from his class or even from his school. He knew he had heard some time ago that they might not even have to be from the same country. If it would be something like this, than this would probably get more difficult than he had thought.

He tried to shake the thought off when he turned on his side when he lay in bed, turning off the light of the lamp on his bedside table. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this has been a very short chapter in relation to the first one, but I hope you still liked it. We're starting to head into the real story I suppose. -side eyes- 
> 
> Inspirational Songs:  
OSTs   
Somehow at the moment I don't have special songs I am listening to for this rn.  
But worry not the fitting songs are already in the playlists for later. So stay tuned!


End file.
